From Bola Ogunlayi, Ibadan
Barely four days after the gruesome murder of a 19 years old female student of the Department of Science Laboratory Technology (SLT), Federal College of Animal Health and Production, Moor Plantation, Ibadan, Barakat Bello, a 29-years old pregnant woman, Azeezat Somuyiwa, was found dead morning found dead with her head smashed with a stone in her room in Ijefun, a community, near Ojoo, Ibadan .
Both incidents shared one thing in common, they occurred in close vicinity of Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State.
It was gathered that, Azeezat got married to her husband three years ago and she returned from Kano State few months ago, where she had spent some time with her husband before returning to Ibadan.
Chairman of the Ijefun Landlord Association, Alhaji Taiwo Adeyemo, said Azeezat was killed with a big stone inside her room.
The deceased husband, Dhikirullahi Somuyiwa, just secured an employment, after completing his one year mandatory National Youth Service Corps programme.
Mother-in-law of the deceased, who introduced herself as Mrs Idiat Hamzat, explained that she came to the house of the deceased to check on her, but strangely ¹¹met her daughter-in-law in the pool of her blood as her head has been smashed with a very big stone.
Visibly shocked sister-in-law to the deceased, Shakirat Oladokun, said the incident came to her as a rude shock, and called on security agents to assist the family in tracking down the culprits,
She described the deceased as gentle and highly religious woman, who minded her business during her lifetime.
Policemen from Ojoo and Moniya divisional headquarters that were informed about the incident, reportedly came to the scene and took the corpse and the stone used to smash her head away.
There was speculation that the perpetrators of the dastardly act might be serial ritual killers like the defeated ‘Badoo Boys’ of Ikorodu in Lagos State.
Meanwhile, Special Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Security Matters, Fatai Owoseni; and Commissioner of Police in the state, Nwachukwu Enwonwu, on Friday visited the scenes of the crime at Ijefun and Kara area of Akinyele community with a promise to work to bring perpetrators of the heinous crime to book.
Enwonwu said: “The police is working on the two cases. They are professionals and are working on it. You will not expect the police to come out to give details of the process they are using to apprehend the assailant. Nobody is above the law.
“We have to follow due process and the rule of law. Everybody you see is presumed innocent until there is sufficient evidence to apprehend. They are taking detailed steps to get to the root of it and I assure you that at the end of the day, we will come out with success.”
Owoseni added that the police is determined to restrategise in its collaboration with communities to track down crimes during the day and at night, assuring that the Oyo State Police Command would increase its visibility in Akinyele Local Government Area where the two crimes had been committed.
“With the progress of investigation, by God’s grace, those culprits will be brought to book. They will be brought to justice. The Commissioner of Police has had interaction with the field officers to ensure that nothing of this happens again.
“They will re-strategise in having collaboration with members of the community. Focus used to be during the night, this is happening during day time. The police have planned to increase and strengthen engagement with members of the community.
“We commiserate with the families of the victims of the two incidents. From what we have seen, the modus looks the same. There are isolated bushes around the houses that make people vulnerable.1
“With the commitment of Governor Seyi Makinde to make Oyo State safer and more secure, everything that is needed to support the police, law enforcement agencies to get the culprits arrested will be done.
